Monday, February 5, 2018

Interview with Nina Croft!

Okay, so........I run in an extremely cool circle.

Maybe that wasn't as believable as I thought it would be. But straight up, it's true. Some of the world's coolest authors are friendly to me--despite my stalkeriffic tendencies--and they occasionally grant me interviews! How lucky am I??

Seriously. I freaking love my job.

This month I had the awesome chance to chat with Nina Croft, author of sci-fi, paranormal, and contemporary romance...of the hot and sexy variety. It was her stories that turned me on to paranormal romance years ago. They're equal parts sexy, witty, and intricate. Nina's world building skills are incredible! Author envy. Straight up.

Anyhoo.....this month Nina is here to talk about her latest release, aptly named Release Me, which is featured in the 20 Shades of ShifterAnthology. I'm stoked to check it out, and I'm sure each of you will be as well, once you've gotten to know Ms. Croft up close and personal.

Check her out below....

1.) First off, why not tell us who you are, and what you
write…

I’m
Nina Croft and I’m English, though I now live on an almond farm in southern
Spain with my husband and a whole load of animals. And I write all sorts of
romance, contemporary, paranormal, science fiction...

2.) What helped you settle on your genre? Do you
ever think about exploring other genres?

I
write romance because I love happy endings. But I think about exploring other
genres all the time. I’m a strong believer that you should write the sort of stories
you love to read. And I love reading all sorts of different things. I’ve
recently completed my first non-romance—a thriller set in the near future, and
right now I have a hankering to write a book about ponies!

Side note from Brooke: I love genre jumping, and I'm stoked to read about ponies from you, Nina!

3.) Tell us about your latest release…

Release
Me is book 3 in my Storm Lord series – Seven angels cast out from Heaven and
now given a second chance at love. It comes out on the 14th February
as part of an anthology – 20 Shades of Shifter - a limited edition collection of new and exclusive
paranormal romance novels.

Release Me Blurb

A thousand years ago, Finn
Stanton was given a chance to get back the woman he loved enough to break the
laws of Heaven. All he has to do is find her, and all she has to do is say I
love you.

Never going to happen.

Having drunk of the Elixir of
Life, Rachel Miller’s soul is tied to the earth in a perpetual cycle of death
and rebirth. A widow, she lives with her six-year-old son in a strict religious
community. She has no memory of the lives she has lived, though she is haunted
by a love she can’t remember and a loss she can’t overcome.

Finn has no intention of even
looking for his wife. He betrayed her once, and the best thing he can do for
her now is stay away. But fate has a way of hijacking the best of plans and
Finn comes face to face with Rachel. Now he has five days before he loses her
forever.

4.) Of all the characters you’ve created, which is your
favorite and why?

I
think my favorite character is one of my earlier ones. Ricardo Sanchez—Rico.
He’s a space pirate and a vampire (born in Spain in the middle ages) and the
hero of Break Out, book 1 in my Dark Desires series. He’s living the life I
would love to lead—he has his own space ship, The Blood Hunter, and he spends his time exploring space and having
fun!

Side note from Brooke: I remember Rico...I believe he was from a novel released from my first (traditional) publishing house, Entangled Publishing, and it was a fun, fun read!

5.) Tell us about your writing routine? Do you
have music or TV playing? Do you have to have a certain snack? What’s your
“author uniform"? (Mine is usually pajamas…)

I
hate routines! So I don’t really have one. I have an office but tend to move
around the house to write. Sometime on the sofa, sometimes at my desk, or in
bed. Occasionally, under a fig tree on the mountainside with a glass of wine.

No
music or TV, just because once I start to write I don’t notice them anyway. And
no author uniform; I love pajamas but they’re not really suitable for walking
the dogs or riding my horse which I do between bouts of writing.

6.) What do you think is the key to writing good
fiction that sucks in a reader?

For
me, as a reader, I think it all comes down to story. I read for escapism and I
love being sucked into a great adventure that I don’t want to leave until I
find out what happens. But I think the secret to great stories are great
characters, people (or aliens!) who want something so badly that we end up
wanting it with them.

7.) If you could do any career in the world,
other than being an awesome author, what would you do, and why?

Space
explorer. I always wanted to boldly go…

As have I, Nina.

8.) What is your favorite classic book, and why?

Count
of Monte Cristo because it has everything. It’s a wonderful romantic adventure
story with a fabulous hero.

9.) Can you tell us about the chemistry between
your most recent hero and heroine, and what makes it work so well?

I enjoy
writing stories that team up unlikely couples who somehow manage to make it
work despite the odds being against them. I love the whole opposites attract
idea and that’s certainly the case in Release Me. Finn, my hero, is an ex-angel
turned wolf shifter with a love of big guns, and my heroine, Rachel, is a widow
living in a strict religious sect. But these two fell in love once before, a
long time ago, and although Rachel can’t remember that life, something draws
her to Finn.

Side note from Brooke: Dude. I love the fact that she's living in a religious sect. And I love that you have the ability to write a character like that and make it work seamlessly!

10.) What is your favorite fruit? Color?
Vacation spot? Movie?

Bananas.
Purple. The beach. Aliens

11.) Before we finish, why not share a little
excerpt from your latest release, to pique everyone’s interest…

Excerpt: Release Me

Her stomach churned, not with fear but
excitement.

The helicopter wasn’t large, maybe ten
feet long. It would be like being in a bubble high above the earth.

As they came in range of the blades,
she ducked her head instinctively, though in fact they were way above the top
of her head. She halted by the open door in the side, then jumped as Finn took
her elbow, her heart racing. She was a widow. Had been a married woman. Why did
his touch make her so jittery? Make her skin prickle with an awareness she
hadn’t expected? He helped her into the seat and came around and climbed in
beside her. As he leaned across her, she went still, her gaze flying to his
face, and she caught a frown.

“Sorry,” she said. “But in my world, we
don’t touch a man we are not tied to by marriage. It is against our laws.”

“Well, you’re in my world now. I just
need to fasten the harness. I wouldn’t want you falling out.”

The blades of the helicopter were
speeding up, the noise rising, so speech became impossible. She held her breath
as he pulled the straps from either side of her shoulders, crossed them over
her front and clicked them together. His fingers brushed against her breasts,
and something fluttered deep inside, her skin suddenly sensitive. He pulled the
straps tighter until she was snug and secure, and she was aware of her body as
she had never been before. It was just that everything was so different. That
was all.

He gave her a strange look she couldn’t
quite read, and then sat back in his own seat and fastened his harness.

Almost immediately, they rose into the
air and her whole body tensed. She stared out of the window, saw Papi still
standing on the porch, his hand shading his face. She and Jacob were his only
family. He must be worried.

She raised her hand, though she knew he
wouldn’t be able to see it.

Then the helicopter banked, almost over
on its side, and she let out a small scream and grabbed the arms of her seat.

Was that normal?

But Finn still seemed calm. Staring
straight ahead, deep in thought. And she forced herself to relax.

They rose higher and flew through the
night. Leaving her home and safety far behind.

A shape-shifting dragon must win over his reluctant mate and stop Jack the Ripper. A Fae trucker becomes allies with an MC member when trying to deliver magical motorcycles to the Fae Queen. A wolf shifter is held captive in a human research lab where he is tortured until he meets one sexy scientist. An angel risked it all to steal the elixir of life and save his mortal love’s life and over two millennia later must get her to remember she once loved an angel. These stories and many more are included in this steamy, hot collection.

Don’t wait to read this set. It is only out for a short time before it will be gone forever!

Thank you, Nina, for visiting the Brooke Moss blog today! I am always so flattered and honored when awesome freaking authors like yourself hang out with geeky me. I hope all of my readers enjoy this interview, and will follow you on social media, as well as grab a copy of Release Me, because it's sure to be (almost) as amazing as you are.